There's something going down on Facebook. Pay attention. — *First time to SquaredPeg? Subscribe via Email or RSS today or follow @bradjward on twitter for more frequent updates. *Media: Please email me, bradjward (at the) gmail. Any phone # you find for me will likely lead you to a voicemail I won't check until mid-January.

Rumors of Upcoming Microsoft Cut-Backs — Rumors. Microsoft layoff and cut-backs and Reduction In Force rumors. That's all I have for you. Rumors and second-hand speculation and the comments left by the fine, good-looking folks who participate in the conversation here.

“Holy F**king S**t I Was Just In A Plane Crash!” — A Continental airlines 737 slid off the runway in Denver last night. The engine on the right side burst into flames. Passengers escaped out the left side on slides. 38 people were hurt. Fortunately no one was killed.

Christmas shut-down in Silicon Valley — Workers at some of Silicon Valley's biggest companies will find themselves spending an uncommonly long time with their families this Christmas as the technology industry responds to the downturn with office and factory closures and enforced holidays.

Chinese Internet porn sensation detained by police — SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A Chinese woman who became an online sensation after posting a homemade pornographic film of herself on the Internet has been detained in Shanghai, according to state media. — The 12-minute-video showed the woman …

Music Games for iPhone Give Artists New Spotlight — A start-up company called Tapulous has turned a simple game for the iPhone into an Internet-age mobile stage for musicians. — Tap Tap Revenge, a free game that challenges players to keep up with catchy tunes by tapping in the right spots …

The Year of the Simpler Gadget — THE National Bureau of Economic Research hardly stunned the nation this month when it announced that the United States had been in recession since December 2007. — And, as it turns out, the buyers of consumer electronics could very well have been a leading economic indicator.

Nvidia bids to dislodge Intel as rivalry gets ugly — Intel and Nvidia are entering into a new, nasty phase of competition. What's at stake? Only the future of the personal computer. — Though the Santa Clara, Calif., neighbors (only a couple of miles from each other) …

Google, T-Mobile and The Android G2 Conspiracy — I don't have any inside knowledge into T-Mobile's plans for follow-ups to the Google Android mobile operating-based G1, which according to Cell Phone Signal includes a G2 smart phone ready to roll out at the end of January.